The present invention concerns a valve for use in injecting oil for lubricating/flushing cylinders in large engines and arranged with mounting means for fastening in a cylinder wall with a valve stem extending through the cylinder wall, and with at least one nozzle outlet at the inner end of the valve stem.
The invention particularly concerns a valve or injection unit intended for use in cylinder lubrication of motor cylinders in large diesel engines, particularly marine engines. In such systems, the valve or the injection unit may include a dosing unit mounted directly on the individual valve. In such lubricating systems, previously the valve has been intended for introducing an injection jet in the form of directionally oriented oil mist lubrication. Disclosures of examples of this technique are known e.g. from WO 00/28194 and WO 02/35068, which publications are hereby incorporated by reference.
It is noted that in the present application, the term valve is used. By using such a term in the present application is envisaged a unit that may also be said to be an injection unit. Such injection unit may optionally include a dosing unit or be adapted as an injection unit without dosing in the valve/injection unit itself. The expression valve thus covers a machine part extending through the cylinder wall and connecting one or more nozzle outlets or oil injection orifices at an end inside the cylinder with oil connection openings on a part outside the cylinder wall.
Many examples of valves of the type mentioned in the introduction are known. The valve is thus connected with a supply source for oil which is sprayed under pressure into the interior of the cylinder at a given time adjusted to the work stroke of a piston in the cylinder.
The valves are disposed in a number around the circumference of a cylinder. The valves are usually disposed in radially or largely radially oriented mounting holes in the cylinder wall and extend through this cylinder wall. The valves are fastened to the cylinder wall via mounting means, e.g. screw thread on the valve stem itself, or a mounting bushing screwed into the screw holes formed in the cylinder wall. The valve is clamped and secured in a given position by tightening the screw thread connection. This may provide uncertainty of the final angular position of the valve when this is secured in the cylinder wall.
The valves are provided with one or more nozzle outlets that are transversely oriented relative to the valve stem, and which are directed in one or more directions wanted for the actual mounting hole for providing lubrication/flushing with desired orientation inside the cylinder. Thus there are different orientation of the valves in different mounting holes. Thus every valve is made with individual shape adapted the contemplated mounting hole.
Previously known valves, which subsequent to mounting have a desired spray direction setting, demanded an extensive machining of the cylinder, and there was the risk that the valves could be turned wrongly. This is unfavourable as here there is need for individual adaptation. This is unsuitable from a manufacturing point of view. Furthermore, there is no possibility of setting spray direction after mounting.
It is the purpose of the present invention to indicate a valve where these drawbacks are relieved, and which is provided so that the orientation of the spray direction(s) of the valve may be determined after mounting in the mounting hole in the cylinder wall, and which is preferably arranged so that it may be used with minimal machining of existing mounting holes instead of a prior art valve.